Oliver overcame learning disabilities as a child–he did not read fluently until he was almost 11 years old–to become a model student, garnering awards, recognition and scholarships in everything from athletics, fine arts and science to foreign language, writing, and forensics, and graduating as the salutatorian from his high school.

As a university student, Oliver went on a search for a truly great education — experiencing private and public universities, religious schools, corporate and international educational institutions, prestigious colleges and worthless diploma mills; he literally sampled the best and the worst that modern education has to offer, and virtually everything in between.

As a result of his relentless pursuit of the best education for his goals, he found a small Bible school where he worked closely with mentors and studied the Bible and the great classics in many fields. Although Coral Ridge Baptist University was not regionally accredited, he was so excited by the quality of his studies that he left a large, well-respected university to focus full time on his classical education. He earned the B.A. in Biblical Studies (May 1992), M.A. in Christian Political Science (December 1992), and Ph.D. in Religious Education (May 1994) at Coral Ridge Baptist University.

He has written and spoken extensively about the traditional education system versus his intense mentored-classical experience with Coral Ridge and his mentor–Dr. W. Cleon Skousen. After his Coral Ridge studies, he returned to Brigham Young University and completed the B.A. in International Relations with a minor in Aerospace Studies, graduating Magna Cum Laude (1994). He then devoted his time to developing and founding an educational philosophy and movement known as Leadership Education, or Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd).

Presently, he devotes a majority of his time to writing. Oliver is a popular author, keynote speaker, and business consultant.